Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
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These Air Fryer Chicken Tenders yield a crispy, flavorful, and healthy version that rivals any deep-fried tender. Plus, you can prep, freeze, and air fry the frozen chicken tenders any time.
Or try our Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders in the oven.
Why You’ll Love Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- Texture and flavor – Perfectly crispy and a nice balance of seasoning. All ages will like these. I tested these over and over until I got them just right. (My kids didn’t mind that!)
- Healthier – Air frying requires almost no oil, which reduces the overall fat content and calorie count compared to fried chicken tenders. Plus, when you make chicken tenders at home, you control the quality of ingredients and avoid additives and excess sodium.
- Freezer-friendly – Freeze them before air frying and cook straight from frozen. I’ve tested the heck out of this recipe to make sure it’s perfect!
- Fast for a weeknight dinner – Takes less than 20 minutes.
- Kid-friendly – All ages love this one!
If you want to try a similar healthy air fryer recipe, give our Air Fryer Mini Chicken Burgers or Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks a go!
Ingredients
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders ingredients are so simple! Here’s what you will need to have on hand…
Notes:
- To cut your own with chicken tenders: Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create two cutlets. Then, cut those in half vertically to create chicken tenders.
- I created this recipe with picky kids in mind. These are not very spicy at all. Feel free to kick up the paprika and cayenne some.
- My favorite way to enjoy these is dipping in our Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce and with Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes on the side.
Variations:
- Use 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning or Old Bay seasoning in place of paprika for more heat and complexity. Omit cayenne pepper.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed in hand, to the breading mixture.
- Add finely minced fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, or basil to add to the breading mixture.
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Here’s an overview but find the full printable recipe below.
- Set Up Stations: Add Panko, Parmesan, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne to a blender or food processor and pulse several times until breadcrumbs are a finer texture and everything is well combined. Pour this mixture into a shallow dish. Add the egg and a splash of water to a second small bowl or shallow dish. Whisk with a fork until very smooth.
- Trim & Season Tenders: Trim off any tendon that is sticking out. Season both sides of the tenders evenly with salt and pepper.
- Bread Tenders: Dredge each tender in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off. Dredge the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing it in on both sides. Set aside on a plate, pan, or piece of parchment.
- Air Fry: Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Place tenders in the basket (leave a little space between them) and spray the tops with cooking spray. Cook for 5 minutes, flip, and spray the tops with cooking spray. Cook another 5 minutes.
- Serve: Season with a little more salt right out of the air fryer, if desired. Let cool slightly and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
How to Freeze Chicken Tenders
You have two options for freezing breaded chicken tenders:
- Dredge the chicken tenders in the breading mixture. Place breaded tenders in a freezer container or gallon sized bag in single layers divided by parchment paper.
- Alternately, flash freeze the breaded tenders on a sheet pan for 1-2 hours until solid and toss into a freezer bag. Squeeze out any excess air, seal, and freeze.
Be sure the label the freezer meal with the title of the recipe, date of freezing, and instructions for baking from frozen.
How to Cook Frozen Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer
One of the main perks of this recipe is that you can air fry the breaded chicken tenders from frozen. This makes them a perfect recipe for those busy weeknights.
Here’s the shocking news I learned in my multiple tests: Frozen chicken tenders air fry in the same amount of time as the fresh tenders! So just follow the recipe below and use the same timing.
Serving Ideas
Here are some side dish ideas that would go well with this recipe:
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- Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce, such as:
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- Ketchup
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- Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce, such as:
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- Oven Roasted Broccoli – This cooks at the same temp and almost the same amount of time in the oven!
FAQs
Yes, this is safe to do according to the USDA.
In all my tests, the blending step yielded the most perfectly golden and crispy tenders. However, if you don’t have a blender or food processor, use plain breadcrumbs instead of Panko and be sure to stir the mixture very well until combined.
The flash freeze ensures they don’t stick, but I cheat most of the time and just lay them in a single layer and separate layers with parchment paper.
You certainly can, but in my tests the chicken didn’t turn out quite as crispy and golden brown. You see the difference in my snapshot here after one of the tests.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
These Air Fryer Chicken Tenders yield a crispy, flavorful, and healthy version that rivals any deep-fried tender. Plus, you can prep, freeze, and air fry the frozen chicken tenders any time. We’ll show you how!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs (sub: plain breadcrumbs or gluten-free breadcrumbs)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (sub: paprika)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg
- 12 (1 1/2 – 1 3/4 pounds) raw chicken breast tenders
- Salt and pepper
- Cooking spray (recommend: avocado cooking spray)
- Optional for serving: Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce, Homemade Ranch Dip, or Homemade BBQ Sauce
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Set Up Stations: Add the Panko, Parmesan, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne to a blender or food processor and pulse several times until breadcrumbs are a finer texture and everything is well combined. Pour this mixture into a shallow dish. Add the egg and a splash of water to a second small bowl or shallow dish. Whisk with a fork until very smooth.
- Trim & Season Tenders: Trim off any tendon that is sticking out. Season both sides of the tenders evenly with salt and pepper.
- Bread Tenders: Dredge each tender in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off. Dredge the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing it in on both sides. Set aside on a plate, pan, or piece of parchment.
- Air Fry: Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Place tenders in the basket (leave a little space between them) and spray the tops with cooking spray. Cook for 5 minutes, flip, and spray the tops with cooking spray. Cook another 5 minutes.
- Serve: Season with a little more salt right out of the air fryer, if desired. Let cool slightly and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Freeze For Later: Follow Steps 1-3. Place breaded tenders in a freezer container or gallon sized bag in single layers divided by parchment paper. Alternately, flash freeze the breaded tenders on a sheet pan for 1-2 hours until solid and toss into a freezer bag. Squeeze out any excess air, seal, and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Follow the exact same instructions in the recipe above. Frozen tenders air fry in the same amount of time as the fresh tenders!
Notes/Tips
- If You Don’t Have a Food Processor/Blender: In all my tests, the blending step yielded the most perfectly golden and crispy tenders. However, if you don’t have a blender or food processor, use plain breadcrumbs instead of Panko and be sure to stir the mixture very well until combined.
- Gluten-Free Version: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs instead of Panko.
- Dairy-Free Version: Replace the Parmesan cheese with more bread crumbs (and a pinch of salt) or try using nutritional yeast in place of it.
- Be sure to season the tenders generously with salt and pepper to infuse flavor.
- Kitchen shears are very helpful with the task of trimming off the excess tendons.
- It’s safest to only use one hand to touch the chicken in a recipe like this, leaving the other one clean to season the chicken, open the oven, etc.
- To cut your own with chicken tenders: Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create two cutlets. Then, cut those in half vertically to create chicken tenders.
- I created this recipe with picky kids in mind. These are not very spicy at all. Feel free to kick up the paprika and cayenne some.
- My favorite way to enjoy these is with our Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce. (Sooo good!)
- Variations:
- Use 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning or Old Bay seasoning in place of paprika for more heat and complexity. Omit cayenne pepper.
- Add ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed in hand, to the breading mixture.
Some photos are by Whitney Reist of Sweet Cayenne.
Very tasty! I’m new to the air fryer world so I had to adjust the amount I put in at once, but they were delicious. I look forward to freezing them the next time!
So glad you gave it a try and enjoyed it. Thanks for leaving a review!
This recipe is the BOMB. I love that you can cook them straight from frozen in the air fryer. They are seasoned perfectly and come out crispy even though they aren’t deep fried. This has become a staple recipe in my home!
Yay so glad you like them. Rachel spent a lot of time testing them and tweaking the recipe to get it right. Thanks for the feedback!